Sales Productivity Mistakes that can Kill Lead Generation Efforts

Posted On Wednesday, October 19, 2016 by Robert Smith

Sales management should constantly work to optimize their approach for greater productivity from their sales team. There's an old saying, “work smarter, not harder,” which holds true in sales. By using the approach, you can generate more B2B sales leads with less work. But you'll want to avoid making the following lead generation and productivity-killing mistakes.

Overlapping with Other Sales Reps

One simple productivity-killing mistake is attempting to contact the same prospect as another salesperson. If the prospect has already spoken with a salesperson, there's really no point in contacting him or her for the same purpose. Granted, you can always “follow up” with additional information, but you should avoid making the same calls/correspondence to the same prospect as another salesperson at your company.

The obviously does not include prospects that one sales rep failed to convert, and another team member gives it a second attempt.

Checking Email Too Frequently

Email has become a fundamental tool in a salesperson's arsenal. And while there's nothing wrong with using it, you should limit the number of times you check your inbox. According to an article published by Mashable, the average person checks his or her email 15 days a day. Assuming each inbox check takes just 5 minutes, that's an hour and 15 minutes!

Contacting the Wrong Prospects

Not every prospect is of the same “sales quality.” Some prospects are more likely to buy your products or services than others – and these are the prospects on whom you should focus. So before you begin cold calling, go through your list of prospects and segment them based on likelihood of making a purchase. You can then start at the top and gradually work your way down to the bottom.

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Lack of Clear Goals

Regardless of what exactly you are trying to sell, you need clear and obtainable goals, both short term and long term. Goals serves as a road map for salespersons, showing them what's needed for success. A short-term goal can be converting a prospect into a paying customer, whereas a long-term goal may be generating X amount of sales in a given period. Set goals such as this to stay on track while maintaining a high level of productivity.

Overlooking Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is a highly effective, and efficient, way to generate new B2B leads. It involves indirect marketing through content generation and social buzz to encourage prospects to seek out more information about a business and/or its products or services. Companies fail to utilize inbound marketing may struggle to generate new revenue. The bottom line is that you should use inbound marketing tactics as part of your overall sales strategy.